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If I have lost a loved one, can I go into depression? Can I be grieving if no death has occurred? Can grief evolve into depression? Depression and grief are terms that usually appear together and, although both refer to states of intense sadness, they are not the same nor are they addressed in the same way in psychotherapy. Grief is a psychological process that is activated after a significant loss, whether of a family member, a partner, financial ruin, a recently acquired illness or disability, a job or simply an expectation. Therefore, it is a process where you become aware of the new reality, after an unexpected and painful change. Sometimes, grief can become complicated and become chronic grief or "unresolved grief", which must also be approached as a process of loss, taking into account the resistance that has been activated to hold on to the memory. Depression does not have to occur after a specific event, in fact, it is often difficult to identify the origin (commonly gradual, with multiple factors). It entails a state of intense, persistent and continuous sadness. Although it may have a clinical manifestation similar to grief, it is important to differentiate some aspects: GRIEF DEPRESSION The pain appears in waves. "Pangs of pain" when remember. The pain is present continuosly. Predominant feeling: emptiness. Predominant feeling: hopelessness. Concrete cognitive content, related to loss. Br oad cognitive content, negative thoughts on various topics. In both cases, psychological support is beneficial so that the process evolves favorably. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have identified yourself, we will evaluate your case and adapt a therapy according to your needs.

Dysthymia is a persistent depressive state, less intense than depression, but lasting longer . The characteristic symptoms are similar to depression: poor appetite or overeating, insomnia or hypersomnia, low energy or fatigue, low self-esteem, lack of concentration or difficulty making decisions. As it is a more stable and lasting state than depression, the symptoms must be present continuously, without disappearing for more than 2 months in a row. Despite the symptoms, the person can maintain a certain level of functionality in their life. However, dysthymia also causes deterioration in social, work or other important areas. Occasionally, dysthymia can coexist with intermittent episodes of major depression . That is, there is a tendency towards a chronically low mood, which worsens at specific moments in time. DEVELOPMENT AND COURSE Dysthymia often has an early and insidious onset (childhood or adolescence) and a chronic course. Early onset (before age 21) is associated with a higher likelihood of dysfunctional personality traits and substance abuse. RISK FACTORS AND PROGNOSIS Temperamental : neuroticism (negative affectivity), anxiety and behavioral alterations are the factors that predict a worse long-term prognosis. Environmental : separation or loss of parents during childhood is the greatest risk factor. If you have identified with this post, do not hesitate to request a consultation and we will evaluate your case. You may have normalized a persistent low mood, or attributed it to "the way you are"... why not try experiencing other emotions and increasing your well-being? I encourage you to see us in session and be able to work together.

Children and adolescents do not express discomfort like adults do, which is why it can be difficult to identify depressive symptoms in the childhood and adolescent stages. Being in development, it is advisable to differentiate reactions in accordance with its evolutionary stage from disproportionate or strange reactions. In psychology, we speak of " disruptive mood dysregulation " to refer to a state of chronic irritability , with frequent outbursts of anger (3 or more times a week) in response to frustration, for at least 1 year and in two contexts. different (for example, home and school/institute). Outbursts of anger can be verbal (tantrums, insults) or behavioral (aggression with objects, physical aggression towards peers or adults), whose intensity or duration is disproportionate to the situation, and with marked difficulty in self-regulation. Taking into account that children and adolescents will sometimes refuse to perform certain tasks, meet demands or respect limits, it is interesting to see if the reactions are in accordance with the evolutionary stage. In fact, to properly explore these symptoms, we must wait until the child is at least 6 years old and at most 18 years old. DEVELOPMENT AND COURSE Usually, the symptoms attenuate as the child matures. However, approximately half of children with chronic severe irritability will remain unchanged after 1 year. Children with these symptoms have a greater risk of developing depression and anxiety in adulthood. If you have doubts about which reactions are consistent with your child's developmental stage, or you have seen his/her functioning reflected in this post, do not hesitate to contact us to better assess your case and be able to guide you.

Do certain situations make me panic or do I panic in certain situations? How can I "cut" this loop of discomfort and stop it from interfering in my life? Agoraphobia consists of experiencing anxiety in situations where it may be difficult to escape or ask for help and to be attended to in an emergency. Some situations could be: Travel by means of transport (car, bus, subway, train, boat, plane). Being in open spaces (markets, parking, squares). Being in closed places (shops, theater, cinema, elevator). Standing in line or being in the middle of a crowd (concerts, festivals, conferences). Being away from home alone. What relationship exists between physical and emotional discomfort? Panic attack and agoraphobia are related , let's say that agoraphobia could be a "complication" of the panic attack as it is associated with a specific situation. It is a circular process, which feeds back: Physical sensations appear : palpitations, feeling of suffocation, etc. Interpretation of threat : "something is happening to me", "I'm going to get dizzy." Emotion : fear, alertness, hyperfocus on physiological processes of the body (swallowing, breathing). Catastrophic interpretation of sensations : "I'm going to lose control", "I'm going to faint", "I'm not going to get to the hospital in time". Panic and intensification of the physical sensations from point 1 . Finally, you end up developing a fear that this will happen again, and since you don't know when it will appear, you prefer to avoid situations in which escaping or asking for help is difficult. So... what is the psychological treatment for agoraphobia? In therapy, exposures to bodily sensations ( interoceptive exposure ) are made with the aim of normalizing certain physiological processes in your body without interpreting them as threat or danger (for example, if I start running because I miss the bus, it is normal for my heart rate to and sweating increases). In this way, we will avoid making catastrophic interpretations of bodily sensations, breaking the feedback loop. In addition, we will delve into your meanings about bodily sensations and the fact of being or feeling alone in certain situations , what past experiences you have had or specific events that may have influenced the present. What can I expect from psychological therapy? The impairment caused by agoraphobia usually affects several important areas of life. Therefore, through focused treatment, you will increase your level of functionality , autonomy and productivity, you will decrease self-medication as a coping strategy and associated symptoms (other clinical symptoms of anxiety, depression, substance abuse). If you have experienced these symptoms (or live with them) I encourage you to meet in session to assess your case and work together on your emotional well-being.

Do you feel any kind of pain or discomfort that doesn't go away? Have you been to the doctor several times and are you worried about getting sick or serious? First of all, you must rule out that there is an organic cause (purely physical) that explains the origin of this pain/discomfort. Obviously, psychological factors influence the course of a disease, but it is important to know if the role they play is as a "regulator" or if it is the cause. Normally, in the psychosomatic area, there is an underlying vulnerability (for example, atopic skin) whose symptoms worsen if we are depressed or feel anxious (for example, eczema appears). That is, a low or altered mood depresses our immune system, it becomes less effective and the recovery process slows down. but... can I develop a somatic symptom disorder? For such a diagnosis to exist, there must be one or more somatic symptoms that cause significant discomfort or problems in daily life (or a serious symptom, often pain). Symptoms can be specific (pain located in one part of the body) or nonspecific (fatigue). Additionally, there are excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviors related to somatic symptoms (for example, taking your temperature multiple times, frequently seeing your doctor, spending a lot of time searching the Internet, having conversations about symptoms). How is it different from hypochondria? The central characteristic of hypochondria, or "illness anxiety," is the worry about having or contracting a serious illness. There are no somatic symptoms (or very mild ones). The person performs frequent checks in search of signs of illness in their body and may acquire medical material to monitor their physiological processes at home. The fundamental idea to differentiate both diagnoses, in case the patient reports physical discomfort, is that in hypochondria the individual's distress does not fundamentally come from the physical ailment itself, but rather from the suspicion of suffering from a serious illness (catastrophization). ). If you have lived (or live) with these symptoms, it may be interesting for you to know that in psychological therapy you can work on a high level of concern for health and modify the evaluations and interpretations of bodily symptoms as threatening or harmful. If this topic resonates with you, do not hesitate to contact us to evaluate your case and be able to guide you better.

Do you know the influence that the mind can have on the body? And how exactly does this connection work? The nervous system has two parts: the Central Nervous System (CNS) which is made up of the brain and spinal cord, and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) which is made up of multiple nerves that branch from the spinal cord to the entire body. How exactly do the CNS and PNS interact? We could talk about two ways or "directions" in which information flows: Ascending pathway (bottom-up) : the PNS sends information to the CNS (for example, when I touch my coffee cup to check how hot it is, my nerves send that information to the brain). Descending pathway (up-down) : the CNS sends information to the PNS (for example, if I'm exercising, the CNS sends information to the rest of the body about what movement to do). Which of these pathways is responsible for psychosomatic alterations? Although it is a circular process that feeds on itself (information constantly flows in both directions), the descending pathway can have a considerable effect on our physical well-being or discomfort . Our thoughts and emotions can improve or worsen the symptoms present in the body, simply by paying more attention to them and becoming more aware (surely you have experienced more pain when you have thought about the exact place where you have been injured) or by focusing on an area of ​​the body in such a way that "discharges" are carried out on the nerves in that area, therefore it becomes sensitized and becomes more vulnerable to suffering from some alteration. Likewise, if our thoughts are positive and our emotions are regulated, the brain will release endorphins that relieve pain and promote physical-emotional well-being. In both cases, the body remains the same, but the brain can be our ally or act against us. If you found it interesting and want to delve deeper into some type of symptomatology, do not hesitate to contact us to evaluate your case and guide you. However, it is important to rule out an underlying organic cause. If the alteration or pain persists over time, I recommend that you go to your doctor in parallel.

Did you know that sleep presents a series of peculiarities in the childhood and adolescent stage? Sleep architecture varies with age and undergoes important changes throughout the life cycle. As we grow, the proportion of REM sleep decreases until between the ages of 3-5 it occupies only 20%, remaining in this proportion throughout adult life. Slow wave sleep or "deep sleep" (stages 3 and 4 of NoRem sleep) gradually decreases after the age of 20. What is sleep like in childhood? In infancy, sleep-wake periods are repeated several times during the day , and this pattern persists until 3-4 months. The percentage of REM sleep is greater than in adults and represents approximately half of total sleep. That is, in the neonatal period the electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern goes from the waking state to the REM state , without going through the stages of NoREM sleep. Newborns sleep up to 20 hours a day, slowly decreasing to 13-14 hours by 6-8 months. At 2 years old, nighttime sleep is about 12 hours. By the age of 6, the duration of sleep cycles is stable at around 105-110 minutes and is characterized by a high percentage of NoREM sleep. At 10 years old, a child has a night's sleep lasting approximately 10 hours. What is sleep like in adolescence? In adolescence there is a significant decrease in slow wave sleep or "deep sleep." At this stage, the body needs about 9 hours of sleep at night , and taking into account that adolescents rarely complete this sleep period, the presence of different degrees of daytime sleepiness due to chronic sleep deprivation is common. If you perceive that your child has sleep disturbances, or does not adjust to the aforementioned times and you are concerned that he or she is not resting adequately, I encourage you to see us for a consultation to assess your case and be able to guide you better.

If you have difficulty falling or staying asleep, you will find it interesting to know guidelines to improve the quality of the environment so that your body is ready for rest. There are several sleep hygiene measures that can "train" the brain and body to enter the night in a state of maximum relaxation. Let's say that these measures could be classified into three broad categories: Habits Exercise regularly , preferably in the middle of the afternoon. Avoid naps or reduce them to 30 minutes maximum (this way, sleep will be more restful at night). Maintain regular times for going to bed and getting up (the body will be able to regulate itself better if it recognizes a recurring wake-sleep pattern). Intake Eliminate stimulating drinks (coffee, tea, etc.) after midday. Drinking a glass of warm milk before going to bed promotes sleep due to its high content of tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin, which in turn is a precursor to melatonin that stimulates sleep. Quit smoking or reduce consumption (nicotine is a stimulant of the nervous system). Eat a light dinner 2 hours before going to bed (it promotes proper digestion, you won't feel so "heavy" and you will have time to finish the process before going to sleep). Environment Place or store the clock/alarm clock in such a way that you do not see the time (so as not to activate yourself thinking about "how little time you have" or get overwhelmed by "not being asleep anymore"). Prepare the bedroom : reduce light and noise, maintain a temperature between 12-24º, comfortable mattress and comfortable clothing. Avoid counterproductive activities : reading, watching a movie or series, entering social networks or playing with your cell phone, eating in bed... all these activities activate your body and make associations different from sleep. If you can't fall asleep 30 minutes after going to bed , you should get up and leave the bedroom to do some relaxing activity. Staying awake in bed will stress you out and make it difficult for you to enter a state of rest. If you have tried these measures without obtaining the expected results, or have encountered obstacles when implementing them in your home, I encourage you to see us for a consultation to develop more personalized guidelines based on your needs.

If you see the hours go by and you get nervous when you see that the time to "wake up" is approaching, you have probably tried many techniques to fall asleep. What are the benefits of psychological therapy? Psychological therapy for insomnia seeks to change maladaptive sleep habits, reduce the activation of your Autonomous Nervous System (ANS) and modify dysfunctional beliefs that can exacerbate insomnia. These treatments produce long-lasting benefits, without the iatrogenic effects of medications (such as tolerance, residual sedation, and rebound insomnia after discontinuation). What techniques are applied in the treatment of insomnia? Stimulus control . The objective is to associate the bed and the bedroom with sleep, and break associations with other distracting stimuli (food, books, cell phone, computer, etc.). Sleep restriction . In reality, we are referring to increasing sleep efficiency (the ratio of time asleep to time spent in bed), since people with insomnia tend to lengthen their stay in bed by going to bed earlier or getting up later. Relaxation techniques . Useful to reduce muscular and cognitive tension (looped thoughts). Some of them are: Progressive muscle relaxation (Jacobson) . It is based on tensing and relaxing different muscle groups, then moving on to cognitive control of them. Abdominal breathing . Guided image viewing . Training in mental visualization consists of concentrating on pleasant or neutral thoughts. Autogenic training . In the first phase, a series of sensations are worked on (weight, heat, cardiac regulation, breathing, abdominal heat and sensation of coolness on the forehead). In the second phase, imaginary productions (dreams) are taken into account. Cognitive techniques . Maladaptive beliefs, unrealistic sleep expectations, misconceptions about the causes of insomnia and overestimation of the consequences of not being able to sleep are worked on. If you want to delve deeper into these techniques and obtain a restful sleep, do not hesitate to book a consultation to evaluate your case and guide you. Lack of sleep or "inefficient sleep" is one of the most disabling causes. You will notice how your quality of life increases and you will have a better mood.

Did you know that certain foods can improve your mood or predispose you to anxiety and depression? Knowing the effects they can have on your body will be crucial for your well-being. Can food regulate my mood? A balanced diet improves the composition of the intestinal microbiota and provides energy to the nervous system, which releases chemicals called neurotransmitters , which are created and synthesized through what we eat . Among these neurotransmitters is serotonin , which has a direct impact on mood. On the one hand, there are foods that contribute to a good mood : Strawberries, peaches and loquats facilitate an increase in endorphins. Avocados and bananas are rich in omega-3, phosphorus and vitamin B, which contributes to better regulation of sleep, emotional processes and especially anxiety. A deficiency in foods rich in tryptophan (spinach, walnuts, eggs, chicken, turkey) can generate in our body a greater vulnerability to stress and a predisposition to sleep disturbances. On the other hand, there are unhealthy foods that interfere with the proper functioning of the body and can cause negativity and a predisposition to a dysphoric mood : Refined sugar causes chemical changes that can produce chronic inflammation and, over time, alter the immune system, increasing our predisposition to depression. Transgenic fats (processed foods, "junk food") also predispose to depressive symptoms and condition the body to "want more" due to an excess of spices and sauces that make it "tastier." Why do I crave sugars and fats if I'm anxious or depressed? Sugar consumption produces a rapid rise in blood glucose levels (you experience greater well-being and a feeling of energy) followed by a rapid drop that can cause irritability, anxiety and feelings of fatigue. Furthermore, as it has great addictive potential, many people develop an emotional dependence with significant mood swings. Therefore, this "craving" is nothing more than an attempt to regulate a dysphoric mood. The brain "asks" for that food because it produces short-term and effortless well-being, which prevents your body from regulating autonomously, allowing it to "take its time." For this reason, people who frequently consume these foods have greater impulsivity and less self-control than people who "train" their brain in patience and reward in the medium-long term. If you want to make changes to your eating habits and you are not sure how, or you feel that you use certain foods as an "emotional regulator", I encourage you to see us for a consultation to assess your case and be able to guide you better.

Do you feel like you eat differently in moments of emotional tension? Are you worried about your weight or body shape? If the answer is yes, it is worth delving deeper into the role that food plays. Food is an important area in life, which occupies a fairly central place (we eat several meals a day) and is related to other social areas (meals with friends, work meals, family meals, festivities such as Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve, etc. ). If you have felt (or feel) some type of discomfort in relation to food, with concern about the foods and calories you eat, or you feel discomfort about your body figure that entails performing behaviors focused on the body (you avoid looking in the mirror or do frequently looking for imperfections, weigh yourself on several occasions or avoid knowing your weight), it is important to delve deeper into the meaning that weight and body shape represent for you. Can I develop an Eating Disorder (ED)? To talk about an ED, food must occupy a central place in your life, condition the social, family and study/work environment, and cause significant discomfort . If this were present, it would be necessary to pay attention to the specific type of symptomatology, that is, whether restriction of intake predominates or binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors (vomiting, excessive physical exercise) also appear. How can I detect if my partner, family member or friend has ED? If there is binge eating, it is more complex to identify that there is a problem since the person usually maintains a "normal weight", which makes it difficult for those close to them to detect it, and the binge eating occurs alone. On the other hand, if restriction of intake predominates, weight loss becomes visible and family members, friends or partners can identify the change as harmful and intervene. In both cases, we would have to pay attention to other behavioral patterns that can provide us with more information. For example, if you have or use a scale at home, if you check or measure calories, how you interact with mirrors and clothes, if you go to the bathroom immediately after eating, etc. Which are the risk factors? There are temperamental risk factors (obsessive traits, high perfectionism, emotional instability, self-evaluation unduly influenced by weight or body shape, low self-esteem), genetic and physiological risk factors (obesity in childhood, early pubertal development) and environmental risk factors (canon of beauty, cult of thinness, physical or sexual abuse). Treatment of risky eating behaviors requires a specialized psychotherapeutic approach. Psychological therapy provides multiple benefits in this field. If you have identified yourself, do not hesitate to contact us to evaluate your case and guide you.

"Feeling good" does not only include the emotions that we find most pleasant, such as joy. In fact, to "feel good" you must first "feel" , and if we activate emotions we activate the ability to experience joy, sadness, anger, frustration, disgust, etc. Many times, we feel bad because we do not allow ourselves to feel any of these emotions, we reject them and exclude them (or try to do so). To feel good, we must be aware of the existence of basic emotions, which are essential and have been necessary for our survival, which is why they continue to be present and appear, sometimes, at unexpected moments. In any case, believe me, they bring an important message, and if we do not attend to it, they will continue to be present until they fulfill their function. Emotional well-being involves integrating and allowing yourself to move through all emotions , allowing space for them to be expressed and being able to attend to them. These are not "positive" or "negative" emotions; they do not (or we should not) have that value. If we perceive them as uncomfortable or unpleasant, it is precisely so that we resolve some conflict present in our life (that we get moving, because no one wants to stay in an uncomfortable place), just as the emotion "joy" urges us to stay as we are. and remain in that pleasant state. If this resonates with you, or you feel blocks when it comes to mobilizing emotions such as sadness, anger, frustration, etc., I recommend addressing it in a psychotherapy session with the aim of allowing that emotional expression in a safe environment and acquiring coping strategies.